Daily Devotions
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Recently, a teenage boy from England wanted to meet the renowned Ethiopian athlete Haile Gebrselassi.
The lad asked if we could take him to the athlete so he might take a photo with him.
It is not an easy thing to do. Now you should know, not only is Gebrselassi a long-time world record holder in the five- and ten-thousand-meter long-distance run, he is also busy training, is a high-ranking businessman, and has a steady stream of important visitors. His luxurious office is full of staff and secretaries who will not allow you in without an appointment.
Since we knew how difficult making arrangements for a visit would be, we contacted the athlete through a middleman. It was a wise thing to do. The young boy did meet the champion, interviewed him and had his photo taken with the great runner.
As we left, the boy was thrilled and exclaimed, “My friends will be jealous when they see this!”
Now if it takes that much work to meet an athlete, what do you think it might take for us to meet and talk with the almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth?
Not secretaries, but angels, archangels and hosts of heaven who adore and worship Him day and night surround His throne.
We might try to get to God all on our own. Sadly, and because of sin, we will find the heavens will not open easily for us. Indeed, they will not open at all if it’s just for us.
No, the only way possible for us to meet our Creator is through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Savior who gave His life as the ransom price to win our freedom from sin, death and the devil has freed us from our sin. Clothed in this new and clean robe of righteousness, the Lord Jesus brings us before the heavenly throne.
Indeed, this is exactly what happens. The Bible says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Even more, Jesus said to His disciples, “And I will do whatever you ask in My Name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
The reconciliation we need with God comes only through Jesus. “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, that through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I give thanks to You for sending Your Son to be my Redeemer. Trusting in Him I am forgiven and able to come before You without the taint of sin. I give thanks for this great gift you have given. In the Name of Jesus I pray it. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today’s devotion was written by Berhanu Moges, director of Berhan Media Ministry in Ethiopia, otherwise known as Lutheran Hour Ministries-Ethiopia. Established in 1996 in the capital of Addis Ababa, LHM-Ethiopia spreads the Gospel in this country of 85 million through evangelism rallies, Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and the Equipping the Saints (ETS) program working in partnership with church congregations to organize these workshops.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.